Love Contract
Angel Meets Devil It was a medium-sized island, the meeting place. Still, it had a certain air about it and seemed welcoming enough. Of course, Lady Marmalade couldn't have taken the Sparkling Diamond to such a place. It drew too much attention, and far too many customers. Girl ships were all the rage on the waters and single men, men with wives and children all found themselves drawn to such a place. Naturally, she hadn't gone unprotected. The most elite girls among her ranks were skilled combatants, trained by Lady Marmalade herself, they simply looked like beautiful girls taking a stroll through the town, even in their flashy outfits. Passing by, they received many whistles, some men and even women going as far as to stop and stare! It was a downside to being so radiant. The meeting place was apparently one of the Underworlds many little places it had set up for things just like this. A small mansion which had gone uninhabited for quite some time, labeled by the neighbors as a vacation home for some noble, which they assumed she was given her elegance and grace. Sending one of her ladies to knock on the door she stood and waited outside patiently, the meeting was set to start soon. The door slowly creaked open, but lacked a person behind it to open said door. The mansion was way past its prime, the outside appeared still well kept, but the inside painted a completely different picture. It was dark and dreary as well as some might describe it a little spooky. There were no lights on except for one, right in front of the entrance there was a large yet narrow stairway that lead to a floor full of rooms, but only one of them appeared to be inhabited. The room had a very specific noise coming from inside, muffled by the walls, but still very audible. It was the sound of a bow being slowly pulled across the strings of a violin. The music was perfects, each note was hit without failure as the instrument produced a spiritual soul shaking tune. It was almost inhuman. The group of girls entered, they recognized the music. During many of their performances they had a live band, and this was none other than the violin. "Hey we're not playing games!" One of the girls called out. "Yeah, come out here." Another chimed in. "Quiet ladies." Lady Marmalade shushed as they made their way up the stairs. The light broke through the cracks as the door slowly opened. Behind it was a man, tall and lanky in a clean fine pressed suit, carrying a bow and violin in each. His face was like that of stone, but after a moment he broke this face of intimidation to deliver a clever little smile. "Good evening, Madame" he spoke in a smooth yet strong voice. His aura changed once he saw who had came up to greet him when he opened he look apathetic yet angry, but now he seemed to change his appearance and demeanor completely. The man had a knack for that, reading his associates in moments and then changing to become a more attractive figure. "You must be the lovely Lady of the evening, Mademoiselle Marmalade and I am the..." his paused for a moment as a cheeky smile crept across his face "Boogeyman" he spoke slowly putting major emphasis on his title as if just saying it made him giddy. "Yes, that would be me." The girl confirmed. "Well, Boogeyman. For your sake, I hope you are as good a broker as you are a violinist." The woman shifted her stance, now standing with a hand on her hip, leaning her weight to one side. "Should we begin?" She questioned. The meeting was important for both parties, as much as she liked pleasure, this wasn't an occasion where it was to be mixed with business. "Please, follow me" he motioned back into the room still bathed in light, but still slightly dim. The room was not as broken down as the rest of the building as it appeared to be a restored bedroom though it lacked much furniture not even a bed. What it did have was a small table set up in the middle with two comfy chairs, and a tea set placed neatly on its top. The man placed his instrument and bow back into a fine silver case, and placed it upon the table. He soon rummaged through his coat and vest before pulling out two polished flintlocks and a fine dagger. "Before we begin I must let you know some things so as that the trust of this meeting is absolute" his tone shifted he was now deadly serious with a blank expression on his face "I am in fact armed and these are my weapons including the violin and its bow". "...And I am not alone in fact I never am" the air behind his back looked dense and black before suddenly changing its form. Behind him stood an approximately seven foot creature with a black torso and pail head and a demonic teeth and face. "As a virtue of my unique abilities this thing will be here the entire time. Fear not he will not do anything, but I just don't want to hide any secrets that might threaten your life." "I seek fear and respect not through petty threats with weapons and sea devil powers. I assure you I will not use any of these tools on you or your guards." Rouge followed, taking a seat at the table when she felt the time was right, having one of her ladies pour her a cup of tea, though she waited before taking a sip. "Well, I appreciate the honesty." Truthfully, it was in the back of her mind, that someone might try to attack, but she wasn't vulnerable here, or was she? As he did, she too felt the need to reassure the man. "Well, don't fret." The woman said with a smirk. "I'm a lover, not a fighter." She said with her free arm raised, as if she were swearing on something. "Well, let's get straight to it. I called you here today for a bargain bargaining is my specialty. I have kept a eye on your little establishment, and I would like to get a small piece of this lucrative pie, of course I don't want any monetary gain no what I want is far greater. Now, many wealthy powerful men and women come to you requesting your 'services' they come in for a night or two relieve their daily stresses and then return to their life." "Get on with it" spoke the demonic creature standing just a couple inches behind Niccollo in a raspy unclean voice. "Quiet, creature...Maam I am going to be honest with you I want to feared, respected, and known all over the seas so in order to do that I need to make some connections in order to make my name worth a damn before I enter the dangers of this here pirate life. I'll lay the deal out right before you, I want to be able to make a request to where if need be your 'products' can and will kill those who I need to be killed who happen to partake in your goods and services. Nothing strikes more fear into a man's heart than someone being able to threaten their life without being in the same room as them and take them out in their most venerable moment." "Now, I set my price what's yours" Niccollo crossed his legs over placing his finger tips together as he eyed the Broker he was on the edge of his seat waiting for her response. Rouge brought her elbow to the table, a hand resting on her chin as her heavy chest fell atop the table, her eyes staring into his. "So, you want all the credit of a kill with none of the work?" Rouge giggled, "Or even worse, for blood to be on my hands while you what? Write your silly little contracts? My oh my, the boldness of youth." The woman leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs but things seemed to change when he spoke of piracy. "Piracy? How... entertaining. I suppose I can sympathize, I too was once a pirate but unfortunately there is no room for sympathy in business and that's what this is, is it not? Just business." The woman cocked her head, the two silvery strands that hung on either side of her face swaying before she shrugged her shoulders at the question. Once the woman began to accuse Niccollo of some form of cowardice his brow furrowed as he closed his eyes for a moment taking a small pause before opening his eyes once more with his business composure returning to him. "Madame you must be mistaken. I don't want you to do the dirty business for me in fact I prefer things to be up close and personal, but let's say things aren't so simple and I need someone or something gone and it just so happens I got an associate with the ability to assist me." He was hiding it with his near perfecting acting, but something about that last remark set something off in Niccollo a deep seeded anger. "Let me put it to you like this, a man comes upon a weapon of incredible power yet he will almost never get the chance to use it in his life time since he is a pacifist in this scenario. While that man has never been shown to use this weapon just the fact that he has it deters opponents and instills fear in those who would wish to take the weapon from him." "I will almost never call upon your services madame, but I just want it there in case I needed it much like my guns, knife, and instrument I never planed on using them, but having them close is nice. NOW, what would you want?" Niccollo leaned onto his elbows placing them on the table and pushed his finger tips together watching Rouge very carefully. "Is it the testosterone with you men? You're no pacifist, commanding for me to bow down, but I won't. I'm not a tool, not a sword that lies in your armory begging to be picked up and used for war. You'll be begging me. That is what I want. I want you to beg." Rouge said with a smile, one that showed politeness, but deep down was everything but. Niccollo's patience was being tested he hid his hands as he began to grip them out of furry. His face struggled to keep his facade up as his smile wavered. Nothing pushed him more over the edge than comments of this nature especially requesting that he beg. "I'm trying to make a deal with you so listen..." he took a deep breath that comment about begging struck a nerve, but he knew in order to maintain an air or respect he couldn't lose his head so easily he is a feared pirate not a child throwing a temper tantrum. "No you're right I don't want you to be my weapon I want you to be my...associate a partner per say we both give each other something a little...tit for tat". He released the grip on his hands and slowly moved his hands to the case of his violin as he popped the two latches on the fine case. Niccollo retrieved his tool placing its body to his neck as he rest the bow on its strings. "I already know what you have to offer, but I request you make a deal without knowing my specific talent. I assume your line of work comes with dangers and deals now I can consolidate any bargains which you may find yourself in and I assure you people don't escape deals signed with my abilities so easy, but I can also offer you my most unique form of...illusidation". With a pull across the strings the violin produced a most beautiful noise, and as he played the filled with a tasty aroma, the light was amplified, and the whole room despite being uninhabited for what seemed like years suddenly sprang to life the wall paper seemed fresher and the floor was now polished and beautiful. Just as the room became perfect Niccollo changed the tone of his music it was now sinister and eary. The room was now pitch black barely illuminated, but from the little light there was the shadows it produced took on the shape of demonic terrifying monsters and devils. In one clean motion he removed the bow ceasing the music and in that same moment returning the room to its natural state. "Music has incredible powers over the mind, and I have learned that when played just right music can control the senses we trust so much with just a couple pulls of the strings I can put a man's mind into a feeling of pure bliss or subject him to his worst nightmares" the violinist placed his instrument back where it belonged and close its case he believed he had more than demonstrated his incredible music abilities. Rouge crossed her arms, staring at the boy, unimpressed. The party tricks he was preforming meant nothing to her and the speech that followed it was equally meaningless. Responding with a round of slow claps, Rouge's girls made their way to the boy, tracing their fingers against his arms and moving towards his face, their lips whispering sweet nothings into his ears. Then, Rouge spoke. "You're brave, threatening a woman like me... but don't push it." The girls giggled as their madame spoke, continuing to play with the boy, rubbing themselves on him like dogs in heat. "Though, I will say, it's possible that you could be a valuable asset. So long as you don't exhaust your usefulness."